Stamp Sketches

The Patchogue Sketch Club had stamps as our theme recently. I know I had saved some stamps from foreign cards and letters but couldn't find them. What I did find were some stamps in small postage amount from long before we started using the "forever" stamps. When they raised the postage I would buy some 1, 2, and 3 cent stamps to add to the last stamp that was used. I like this one of the Connestoga Wagon. 

My friend, Pat, can always be counted on for fun items for our themes. She came in with a bag of stamped postcards that she received in the past as well as some loose stamps, like this one from France. She is very good at sharing what she brings.

Smithtown Historical Society

 I love old buildings that are full of charm like this one of a blacksmith's shop on the grounds of the Smithtown Historical Society.

Zentangle

 The South Bay Art Association had their general meeting last week and we all worked on zentangles. We did them a few years ago and I enjoyed doing them, but probably haven't done more than one since then. Here was what I worked on this time.

West Avenue Dock

Sketching at the West Avenue Dock in West Sayville is always fun. There is always something interesting there to sketch. It might be a ship that is being restored or a pile of concrete slabs like here. Don't you love all those tires? lol

Lombardi's Love Lane Market

The town of Mattituck on the north fork is a cute town, but I never find a parking spot on Love Lane where most of the shops are. The other day I lucked out because it was midweek and there were several spots available. I pulled into one that gave me a great view of these two planters in front of the entrance to Lombardi's Love Lane Market. When I finished painting I headed in to see what they had. It was an interesting assortment of foods...a little different from a supermarket. 

Pink Tree at the Station

Like my friend, Tina Koyama, at this time of year I stop in my tracks for trees covered in pink blossoms. (I think she sketches many more of them than I do.) I was driving by the Oakdale Train Station and spotted this tree. I had to stop...#1 It was beautiful and #2 there was a parking space waiting for me. I found it hard to differentiate the color of the blossoms from the brickwork and am not sure if I succeeded.

Queens Botanical Garden

On Earth Day the NYC Urban Sketchers celebrated and sketched at the Queens Botanical Garden in Flushing.  There were quite a few events going on in the garden related to Earth Day. Groups danced, taught about recycling, taught about composting, and gave away trees. 

I started out doing a large sketch of the trees and flowers that were in bloom. A few kids cooperated and hung out on the grass in front of me.

I knew that I couldn't capture everything in a large size so I did a page in my sketchbook with some small sketches of what was going on. Here is how I set up the page.

I started with a sketch of someone dressed as a bee. It turned out that this was Howard Wassinger, a beekeeper and owner of HnH Apiary in Queens. He and his wife had a table where they were teaching people about beekeeping and offering them a taste of the honey they get from their hives. At one point he yelled over to me that he was coming over to see what I was sketching and was surprised to see himself as my model. He was thrilled!

Next I moved on to the beehives that were nearby. These belong to the QBG.

I walked to the other end of the park and found a few sketchers at work. Breanna was sketching with us for the first time. She and her husband recently moved to the area from Montana...quite a change.

Helene' is French and now lives in NYC. She has been sketching with us for a few months now. She was so excited that I had sketched her.

As always our day ended with our "show and tell" where we share our sketches from the day. I always love to see what each person selects for their subject.